1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording/reproducing apparatus for use in an electronic still camera system or the like which is capable of recording a still image onto a magnetic recording medium or reproducing a still image recorded on the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, there has been developed an electronic still camera which comprises a combination of an image pickup device such as a solid image pickup element, an image pickup tube or the like, and a recording device employing, as the recording medium thereof, a magnetic recording medium such as an inexpensive magnetic disc but having a comparatively large memory capacity, in which an object can be still photographed and the still image can be recorded onto the magnetic recording medium and the reproduction of the recorded image can be carried out by means of a separately arranged reproducing device or the like.
In the above-mentioned electronic still camera, an object in motion, for example, can be photographed by means of a sequential photographing mode in which an object is photographed at a predetermined sequential photographing speed for a given period of time (e.g., 10 frames/sec.) during the depression of a shutter release button, and the still video signals of the photographed object are sequentially recorded onto each of the tracks provided in the magnetic disc.
There is also a desire that the series of video signals of the moving object being recorded at the predetermined sequential photographing speed while in the sequential photographing mode are being to be displayed as a moving image, for example, on the TV screen when the video signals are reproduced.
For this reason, in order that a series of video signals in the single unit recorded in the sequential photographing mode can be reproduced sequentially, it is desired that, when recording, the frame information (photographing data) within the sequential photographing unit be recorded simultaneously. In this case, if the sequential photographing speed of the sequential photographing unit can be recorded simultaneously, it is possible to reproduce the video signals at such a speed as is associated with the sequential photographing speed.
On the other hand, when reproducing an image in accordance with the frame information (photographing data) recorded simultaneously with the video signals of the image, if an operator is able to previously know the contents of the frame information, then the reproduction operation of an image recording/reproducing apparatus can be carried out in a proper and accurate manner.
In addition, in connection with the images recorded in the above-mentioned sequential photographing mode, it would be very convenient if the series of images recorded at a certain photographing speed can be reproduced automatically and repetitively. It is desired that the frame information can be used to perform such repetititive reproduction.